Chapter 6: The Magic Trick

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“No need. This is their turf. Although no one can surpass me in urban development here, we must not be shortsighted. In the real world, we remain quite weak. Even if we unleash all our weapons, it won’t make much of a difference to them. So this time, let’s give up here and explore other locations. If we find a suitable place, we’ll strike there instead.”

With that, Li Mingxing pulled Zheng away. Over the next few days, Li Mingxing made trips to Cairo and Greece.

However, Li Mingxing was somewhat disappointed. Both places’ ancient sites were already marked with apprentice hero tags.

After studying these three places, Li Mingxing finally decided to target the Great Sphinx just outside Cairo.

There were three reasons for choosing the Sphinx. First, its massive size. Li Mingxing was unsure how much material he needed this time or whether the material had to be taken whole or could be broken into pieces, so he opted for the largest object.

Second, the Sphinx was the least likely to be replaced. No matter how much Egyptians wanted to hide it, something that large couldn’t be concealed. So the Sphinx near Cairo was definitely authentic.

Third and most importantly, the two apprentice heroes in Rome and Greece belonged to the Dark Alliance, while the one in Cairo was with the Light Alliance. Li Mingxing targeted the latter, hoping for opportunities beyond just the theft.

Hearing that Li Mingxing aimed for the Sphinx, Zheng was stunned. Initially, she thought Li Mingxing wanted to steal some large stone blocks from temples in Rome or Greece.

If that were the case, perhaps he could manage with the money from selling gems. But Li Mingxing had set his sights on the Sphinx itself—an object impossible to transport even with several helicopters.

Seeing Zheng’s troubled expression, Li Mingxing smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I considered this on the way here. Remember when I took you to see that performance by a magician named Castro?”

“You mean the one where the plane disappeared and reappeared?” Zheng immediately recalled the magic show they saw in France a few days ago. “But didn’t you say it was just a trick?”

“The thing is, he’s very skillful at deceiving,” Li Mingxing chuckled. “Here’s the plan…”

After hearing Li Mingxing’s plan, Zheng asked blankly, “Are you really sure you can take that thing apart?”

“I don’t know. But when I accepted this mission, I was told anything we touch can be taken away. So this time, let’s just try.”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“Even if it does, this is the territory of a Light Alliance apprentice hero. We can fight them,” Li Mingxing said confidently.

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Hearing Li Mingxing’s confident tone, Zheng remained tense. Since becoming his follower, she no longer saw herself as his girlfriend but as his protector. Her mission was to shield Li Mingxing from harm.

This change left Li Mingxing somewhat speechless. Since Zheng became his follower, her attitude toward him had shifted. It felt like a parent doting on a child, which was quite unfamiliar to Li Mingxing, who was used to Zheng’s usual personality.

Yet, when it came to serious matters, Zheng still gave him face. Once Li Mingxing decided on something, no matter how difficult, she would carry it out without hesitation.

For example, this time, Li Mingxing planned to contact the magician Castro, but Zheng was the one who made the arrangements.

Li Mingxing then spent about three hours negotiating with Castro, ultimately transferring all the money from selling the auctioned gems into the magician’s account.

The next day, Li Mingxing heard the news. Castro, famed for making large objects disappear and reappear, was preparing to push the limits of magic near Cairo. He invited ten thousand spectators to watch him make the Great Sphinx vanish and then reappear, not once but three times.

For the third performance, he planned to invite magicians worldwide to witness the feat. Anyone who could discover how he made the Sphinx disappear would receive a cash reward.

Moreover, if someone could replicate his trick and make the Sphinx vanish, the reward would double.

News of this caused a sensation across Europe. Many calls flooded Castro’s staff, asking when the show would begin.

However, the answer was that Castro was currently negotiating with the Egyptian government for a three-day loan of the Sphinx.

Of course, this so-called loan didn’t mean the Egyptians would actually hand over the Sphinx. Instead, it meant Cairo authorities would temporarily restrict tourist access to the area so they could prepare their methods for the magic show.

The Egyptian government did not oppose this international spectacle. But since Castro requested too short a notice, they couldn’t accommodate it and asked him to postpone the show by a year.

Castro disagreed. His actions were driven entirely by Li Mingxing’s challenge, who wanted to see if he could truly make the Sphinx disappear.

Having already accepted a deposit, Castro was determined to deliver. While his financial manager negotiated with the Egyptian government, he also contacted wealthy patrons interested in attending, encouraging them to lobby the government.

Perhaps due to the involvement of Europe’s top elites, the Egyptian government finally agreed to Castro’s terms, setting the first performance for ten days later.

With this news, tickets to the live show sold out instantly. Li Mingxing, not wanting to miss the chance, bought two tickets for the opening performance. Their return flight was scheduled half an hour before the second show ended.

The airport was less than thirty kilometers from the Sphinx. Rumor had it that if the timing was right, one could even see the magic show from the plane.

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Of course, Li Mingxing wasn’t interested in that view. On the first day, he carefully observed Castro’s performance and gained a fair understanding of the magician’s methods.

Castro was no genuine sorcerer. His claim to make the Sphinx disappear was merely an illusion.

Li Mingxing estimated that from the moment the Sphinx vanished until it reappeared, seven minutes elapsed.

What Li Mingxing wanted was precisely those seven minutes. He had calculated that during this window, he could run from the airport where his plane was about to depart to the Sphinx and back.

He didn’t even need to wait for the Sphinx to vanish before acting. While waiting at the airport, he watched the live broadcast on a handheld TV.

When Castro appeared, Li Mingxing excused himself to the restroom and slipped out of the airport. Using his fastest speed and aided by his Scorpion physiology, he reached the Sphinx in five minutes.

At that moment, the TV broadcast carried the announcers’ voices: “The great magician Castro is about to make this enormous Sphinx disappear — for a full seven minutes. Everyone, keep your eyes wide open; don’t miss this opportunity!”

Li Mingxing carefully hid in the Sphinx’s shadow, timing the event while holding a metallic talisman — a spatial teleportation charm given to him by Raymond. Once activated with spirit coins, the charm could open a portal directly in front of Li Mingxing, instantly sucking designated objects into his city without revealing its location to others.

Of course, the charm was expensive. The one Li Mingxing held was worth 7,000 spirit coins and was single-use. If it failed, he’d have to buy another.

Thus, Li Mingxing prayed for good luck, hoping the charm would work as Raymond described: able to take away anything seen.

Just then, the scene on the handheld TV shifted. Castro concealed the Sphinx behind a backdrop in front of the audience.

At that moment, Castro loudly announced, “To avoid suspicion that I’m simply hiding the Sphinx somewhere, we will shine lights directly at it. Soon, you will see the Sphinx vanish right before your eyes.”

Several spotlights then illuminated the Sphinx. Having witnessed such magic before, Li Mingxing knew the time had come. He pressed the spatial teleportation charm against the Sphinx.

As Raymond had said, no matter how large the object, as long as it was whole, the charm could transport the entire thing back to Li Mingxing’s city.